


The Color of Your Laughter

by AuroraValentine



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkwardness, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Eventual Smut, Everybody Lives, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, Lisa and Henry don't get together, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, No D.O.G cult/Devourers of God can go fuck off, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Psychological Themes, Sal Fisher and Larry Johnson Are Not Related, Self-Discovery, Slice of Life, Slight Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Build, Supernatural Elements, Synesthese!Larry, Synesthesia, Tags May Change, themes of internalized homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:46:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraValentine/pseuds/AuroraValentine
Summary: Synesthesia- the neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to involuntary responses in a second sensory pathway; over several variations of the phenomena exist with only 4% of the population being able to experience it.Larry Johnson, having been included in this specific minority, soon discovers how the nature of his affliction can change the way he sees the world & people around him...including a certain short, blue-haired male.
Relationships: Chug/Maple (Sally Face), Sal Fisher/Larry Johnson, Todd Morrison/Neil, Travis Phelps/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 61





	1. Pastels & Panic

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever, both for the Sally Face fandom and in general. I originally came up the prompt for this by chance & ended up falling in love with it the more I thought it over, so I decided to take a chance with this little passion project of mine.
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfic ever, both for the Sally Face fandom and in general. I originally came up the prompt for this by chance & ended up falling in love with it the more I thought it over, so I decided to take a chance with this little passion project of mine.
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoy it!

Larry Johnson had always considered himself to be pretty normal in comparision to his friends...not that there was anything wrong with them! He didn't find them weird or strange at all, despite what others may have thought; to him, they were clever, witty and innovative. Sure, they were sarcastic assholes to each other from time to time, but that's just how it is when you're close to someone. In truth, they were actually really kind, to the point that Larry was sure that they'd each take a bullet for each other without a second thought. He absolutely loved everything about them. It was just...well, they all had something that made them unique.

Todd was smart as hell...borderline genius, even. Honestly, the amount of knowledge that boy held in his brain was almost uncanny & the fact that he could Macgyver the most amazing shit out of just about anything was an absolute mind-fuck; he was also very resourceful when it came to anything related to the paranormal. Larry would never say it to his face, lest he'd be feeding into the already inflated ego pertaining to boy's intellect, but he knew, without a doubt, how screwed they'd be if Todd hadn't been a part of the group.

Ash was pretty. Really pretty...like Helen of Troy, siren-song-bewitching-sailors-to-their-grave status; that might be exaggerating it a bit, though there was still no denying that there's been plenty of times where she's had guys enamored by her at 1st glance. Not only that, her photography skills were on par as well. It wasn't rocket science to figure out how to take a decent picture, but the way she went about the approach made it seem like she was doing more than just aimlessly waving a camera around. She was also really fashionable and knew exactly what looked right on a person, which is probably why Todd saw her as the perfect candidate to help him pick out his outfit on his first date with Neil.

Then, of course, there's Sal. God, what wasn't there to say about him? The guy literally takes the expression 'good things come in small packages' to a whole new level just by existing! Larry couldn't figure it out, but there was just something about the blue-haired little dude. Sal was amazing at whatever he tried his hand at & even if he wasn't, his perseverance was still something to behold. Larry also admired him for his strength. After the 'headbanging incident', he gained more of an insight into his past & had come to discover just how much of a fighter he was. The weight of the trauma he's carried for so long...it shows on every detail of his face, & while Sal always says otherwise, Larry considers those scars to be trophies; markings that served as a testament to how badass he was, & still is.

He was well aware of how extraordinary they all were & how much he paled in comparison; at times, it made him a little jealous...ok, maybe that term was a bit harsh, but he definitely felt a bit envious towards the fact that they all had something that set themselves apart from the rest of the world while he was just...there: a typical, stoner metalhead & juvenile delinquent with a bad temper toward those that disrespected the people he cared about. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't anything was really special about him. Then again, maybe there was one thing, though he doubted it count.

For as long as he could remember, he could, to put it simply, see sounds. No, he wasn't on any drugs...not any hard ones, at least; and to be fair, it wasn't like he saw the actual sound wavelengths traveling through the air in front of him. It was kinda hard to explain, really...the best way he could put it is that whenever his ears caught wind of a certain noise, be it a musical score or a person's voice, he could see a specific array of colors that he felt matched along with it. It was a constant reoccurrence in his life; his first time having this experience being when he was a kid: he and his dad were relaxing in the freshly built treehouse; his dad brought out his old acoustic guitar, playing a couple of songs as they basked in the nostalgia of the atmosphere.

Larry remembered how he'd whirled around in the space of the fortress before turning to face his father, smiling & laughing in the midst of his fun. Suddenly, he was overcome by the beautiful, misty rainbow that swirled around the older man's silhouette in a breathtaking manner, as if it were dancing along with the tune. At the time, Larry was so mesmerized that he couldn't help but to stop & stare, stunned by the sight. He never told his father what he saw that day; hell, he never really opened up to anyone about it, for that matter; mainly because, looking back on it, he thought it was just his child-like imagination projecting itself into the open, mixed in with the aftermath of dizziness he felt from all the spinning.

Now that he's grown & has seen it happen more times since then, he realized that wasn't the case; still, he never felt the need to bring it up. After all, he was sure this was prevalent in other people as well; plus, there's been multiple times where it showed to be a huge help with his art. Whenever he had the basement to himself & was stricken with the drive to paint, but couldn't figure out what, he'd just browse through the radio station until something peaked his interest, crank the volume to the max then let the music take over, immersing himself in his paints & canvas. It worked like a charm every time, so he definitely didn't see the occurrence as a huge problem whenever it happened...that is, until today.

* * *

It began like any other Friday afternoon: the gang's last class was closing out for the day, which meant they had the weekend to spend as they pleased; the moment the final bell rang, they scrambled to gather their things & dashed out the front entrance. On the walk home, they talked about their plans for the next two days. Ash's parents were going out later, meaning that she would have to take care of Ben tonight; she promise that she'd be free to hang tomorrow, though. Todd was going to be doing...well, Todd things, which usually meant working on more projects as well as possibly spending time with Neil; however, he was always open to being included in whatever plans were made…& Larry already knew that Sal normally didn't have anything planned, so they'd more or less be getting into some shit together.

When it came time for them to part ways, Ash pulled her boys in for a group hug before heading in the direction towards her house; Todd, of course, heavily protested, but eventually gave in. Upon reaching Addison Apartments, he bid Sal & Larry farewell before heading up to his own floor, leaving them to their own devices. Seeing as they was already here, Sal ventured over to the mailboxes on the far side of the wall; hovering his hand over the one labeled '402', he opened the slot and took out a stack of envelopes. "Hey, Sally Face." Larry called out to him. "Larry Face?" the shorter male quipped back right on cue, taking a moment to pause from sifting through the stockpile of junk mail & bills in his hand. "Feel like chillin' in the treehouse for a bit?" he asked; oddly enough, this earned a small chuckle for Sal. "You _do_ know you don't always have to ask, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but what if you had something else going on?"

"Larry, I'm usually at home by myself."

"Not true. Gizmo's there & I don't think he'd appreciate being left out like that." Larry crossed his arms, wearing a small smirk.

At that, Sal sneered, but there was an evident hint of amusement behind it...the slight crinkle of his eyes from behind his mask being a dead giveaway. "Ok, smart-ass." he deadpanned, "Correction: aside from my cat, I'm usually home alone. So, what could I possibly have planned?"

He shrugs. "Maybe you wanted to knock out all the homework you had."

" _Psh_! Yeah right, I have the whole weekend for that. Anyways, I'm down. I'll meet you there as soon as I drop these off & take care of some things." Sal stated, lightly waving the envelopes around.

"Take your time, dude. I gotta set up in there anyway. The spare key's in the same spot in case no one answers the front door."

Sal nodded and entered the elevator box, waving as the doors slowly closed; Larry gave a small wave back, then headed down the stairs to the basement. He wasn't at all surprised that no one was home when he walked through the front door, suspecting that his mom was either out on a job call or running errands. In any case, he wanted to make sure he had everything together before Sal made his way over, so he dropped his backpack off in his room & gathered up his art supplies. Though he'd normally with his usual set of dark-toned acrylic paint, he decided to take the more adventurous route & try his hand with the pastel set Ash gotten him as a birthday present a couple years back. _'You should try to include more softer colors in your art'_ , he remembered her saying as she handed him the brand-new assortment, still enclosed in its plastic wrapping. He's worked with pastel paint in the past & it wasn't like he hated using light colors, but oil pastels were such a pain to work with; the sticks also had this weird texture that always made him cringe so hard that he thought he'd physically implode within himself whenever he used them.

But still, they were a gift from Ash & the metalhead knew he'd feel bad if he didn't at least think to occasionally use them, so he pocketed the paint sticks, along with a few snacks & headed out the back door, venturing along the sodded path until he stood before the old, worn down structure. By the time he had everything organized, he heard the faint sound of someone struggling as they ascended up the step ladder, followed by a brief flash of electric blue hair in his peripheral. Larry smiled, shaking his head as he approached the opening in the floor to help him up. Ironically enough, Sal also came to the same conclusion to bring food, which explains why he was having so much trouble climbing the ladder a few moments ago...great minds think alike, or so the saying goes.

Though the original plan was to hang out for a few hours, they found themselves lounging about longer than they meant to; when they weren't jamming out to the most recent Sanity's Fall album that had been released, they spent the majority of the time just talking…or, in this case, being total dorks and telling jokes to each other. Both of them had a similar sense of humor, though Larry was more biased to the appeal of jokes with puns & play on words while Sal leaned more toward anti-jokes & dark humor; he couldn't help the small smirk that crept onto his face as he listened to his best friend's one-liner segway into the punchline, an opaque azure aura with a tinge smoky grey & white floating around his silhouette as he spoke.

"Pfft! Dude, seriously? That was so morbid!" he exclaimed, chewing at his lower lip as he continued gliding the oil sticks over the easel; his hands moving with languid, flowing strides along the brightly colored canvas.

"Hey, that was funny & you know it. Look, you're smiling!" Sal giggled. Much to Larry's dismay, he was right; his body had betrayed him, allowing a small chuckle to erupt from him. In truth, the joke was pretty funny despite the fucked up nature behind it, so it couldn't be helped.

"Alright then, you smug little shit. My turn."

"Please tell me you're not going for some lame ass dad joke"

"Hey, never underestimate a good play on words. I swore I'd get you to laugh with a pun one of these days & I'm gonna keep at it 'till I do."

With a roll of his eyes, Sal shook his head. "You're such a dork." he mused; without fail, Larry chimed in. "But I'm _your_ dork. Anyways, prepare yourself." Sal just beamed in response, not expecting anything less from the metalhead. "Do your worst, Larry Face." And so, he did.

* * *

To keep Sal from anticipating the joke too early, Larry did his best to deliver it as casually as possible. Fortunately, this worked in his favor, as Sal was confused from the moment the question was uttered.

"...huh?" he asked, with a tilt of his head.

"You heard me. If a dog & a piecost had a race, which one would win?"

"I'm lost. Is this even a joke?"

"Course it is, dude. What's there to be lost about?"

Larry continued nonchalantly as he finished the painting, an unmistakable smile clear in his voice as he waited. He heard a light shuffle of the beanbag from behind him & assumed that Sal was now sitting up, clearly annoyed. "Larry, what the hell's a piecost!?" he shouted.

It was too _fucking_ easy.

Not willing to spare another minute, he went in for the kill. "About 6 or 7 bucks."

For a while, only silence could be heard...Larry could percieve the confusion radiating from the bluenette, so he just sat there and waited for it all to click. He knew Sal had finally processed what was said when the quiet atmosphere was sliced through with his sudden outburst. "Wh-... _ **oh, my fucking**_ \--!"

"There it is!" Larry laughed, realizing that he finally caught on. Almost immediately, he dropped his set, bracing himself for the inevitable attack he knew was soon to come; however, nothing in the world could have prepared him for what happened next.

* * *

Larry was, in fact, ambushed, but it was not in the way he thought he'd be; instead of the feel of a particular small-framed male jumping onto his back & playfully hitting him whenever he did or said anything stupid, he was startled by an assault on his senses that he was all too familiar with, turning his full attention to the source of the sound….& that's when he saw it.

Rather than being irritated, Sal just fucking lost it. He...was actually _laughing_ at the joke! There were even tears rolling down his scarred cheeks--holy shit, his prosthetic was off which meant that Larry could see every detail of Sal's face as it scrunched up from the hilarity...but that wasn't what had him so stunned. What _really_ caught him off guard was the enchanting wisps of color that fluttered around him.

The usual hue of blue that he normally was used to seeing when Sal's voice rang out was different...it was a lighter shade this time, more like a cyan or baby blue; there were also other colors mixed in too: a bright, minty green, a radiant & summery yellow, a soft & warm amethyst…& if he listened _really_ hard, he could swear he heard small traces of a lush, lively pink in there as well. _God_ , it was like looking at a miniature pastel galaxy unfold before him.

"Lar," Sal cackled, snapping Larry back to reality from a trance he didn't even realize he was under. "Holy shit, I can't--that was probably the dumbest joke ever!" He was barely able to get out the last part before doubling over again. A string of child-like giggles continued bubbling out of him & Larry just sat there in admiration with the goofiest, lopsided grin plastered across his face. This continued for about 15 minutes before Sal finally regained his composure, wiping away the remaining tears & glancing up with an expression that caused a wave of heat to rise in the brunette's cheeks.

"Heh...what's that look for?" Sal asked; his words breathless & practically rolling of the tongue with thick, hazy tone that's never been heard before, which did absolutely nothing to calm the panic that Larry was undergoing right now; the progressive heat becoming worse by the second as it proceeded to make its way down his neck & up the tips of his ears.

"I, u-uh…" he stammered; were it not for his mind being absolutely blank, he'd be kicking his own ass right now. Goddammit, what was _wrong_ with him!?

The expression on Sal's face changed to one of concern as he continued to watch Larry's nervous demeanor. "Hey. You alright, Lar? You seem kinda out of it." shifting over to where he sat on his knees, he scooted towards Larry, placing a hand on his shoulder. The blush on the taller male's face deepened even more, thinking about how close the smaller male was. Piercing blue eyes bore into a set of widened auburn ones & Larry was suddenly aware of how vulnerable he felt under Sal's gaze. "Um, y-yeah dude, totally fine..I just--" His ramblings were brought to an abrupt halt by the sound of Sal's ringtone going off, startling the both of them; he wasn't sure whether to be pissed or thankful.

"Hang on a sec, that's probably dad." he said. Reaching over to pick it up, he immediately answers it.

"Hey dad, what's up?" The conversation between them only lasted a few minutes, but whatever it was about definitely had Sal ecstatic but the end of it; however, the brief moment of joy seemed short as Sal suddenly had an apologetic look in his eyes. "Ah, sorry." he stated sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "It's just...dad said he wanted to have a movie night with me. He actually got to go home early today &\--" Seizing this opportunity to recover, Larry defaulted back to his chill, laid back nature. "Oh shit, really? Nah dude, it's cool. Go spend some time with your old man!"

"A-are you sure? I know you wanted to hang out today…"

"Bro, we're literally a few floors away from each other. It isn't much for me to take the elevator to you & bang on your door if I wanna hang. So, it's really alright. Besides, we can chill tomorrow. "

"Ok….are you _really_ sure it's fi--"

"Sally Face, I swear to God if you ask that question _one more time_ , I will tackle you to the ground & tickle-torture you to death."

Larry snickered when smaller male glared at him because yeah, that was the last thing he wanted. "Yeah, no, hard pass on that." Sal mumbled, crossing his arms & turning away. His stern facade didn't hold up for too long, though because the moment he glanced back at the brunette, his lips soon began to curl upward & before he knew it, he was smiling again. "Thanks, man." The brunette simply smiled back; seeing Sal with such a pleasant look in his eyes, he couldn't help but to find it cute...wait, _shit_ , did he really just call his best friend _cute?!_ He quickly shook his head at the notion, trying to avoid dwelling on it for too long.

"No problem, dude. In any case, you should hurry, so you can have a movie picked out & set up before your dad comes home." he gently jabbed Sal with his elbow.

"How _dare_ you rush me out, you ass! Trying to get rid of me already?!" Sal's mouth was agape in mock horror as he placed a hand over his chest.

"Pretty sure I couldn't lose you if I tried, which is saying something cause you're so smol." Larry jeered.

"Eat my ass, Johnson."

"Ha! You'd love that, wouldn't you."

"Fuck you!"

" _Fuck you_!"

They both stood there for a moment, staring at each other before dissolving into a fit of laughter; when things settled down, Sal continued. "No, but seriously, I wanna at least help bring your stuff back inside before I head out." Larry almost considered declining the offer, but knew the bluenette's stubbornness knew no bounds...it'd be a losing battle that'd end up with him submitting anyway, so he figured he'd just comply now & save the trouble.

Within record time, they were able to carry all the art supplies back in one trip, leaving the snacks they brought in the treehouse so they'd have it for the next time. Once in the basement, they gave each other a quick hug & said their goodbyes before Sal closed the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, a weighted breath left the taller teen that he didn't even know he'd been holding on to; his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor, slumped over with one hand over his pounding heart while the other ran through his long brown hair, face once again tinted a deep shade of red. Larry's mind ran a million miles a minute while simultaneously recalling the events that transpired not too long ago. So many thoughts & questions overlapping the space in his mind; though, out of all of them, one seemed to ring the loudest:

 ** _What the fuck was that just now_**?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I wanna start off by saying thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a comment telling me what you think so far! My writing is probably a bit rusty, so constructive criticisms are more than welcome.


	2. Afflictions & Affections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, CHAPTER 2! WE RIDE AT DAWN, BITCHES!!
> 
> No, but seriously.  
> To everyone whose been looking forward to it, I am SO sorry it took me so long to post I could go on about what had caused me to take so long, but I'm just gonna spare you all the details give you the short version: life has been kicking my ass & this pandemic hasn't been making it any better. Anyways, hope you all are safe. Please enjoy this next chapter update!

The weekend went just as soon as it came, much to the gang's dismay, but it's not like they could've done anything to stop it. Time was nothing but a theoretical construct that humans created for their own selfish purposes…or at least that's what Larry often heard Todd say. Though he was pretty sure the redhead was loosely quoting someone. Either way, he'd rather not delve further into the matter; this wasn't the time to be contemplating the inner mechanisms of the universe. There was less than 24 hours before he & the others would have to return to the hellhole that was Nockfell High and he'd rather spend it using as little brainpower as possible...which is how they ended up as they were now.

Instead of lamenting over the thought, the gang decided to wrap up the weekend, spending the entire day at Ash's house, running a movie marathon. Since Ben & her parents were out, they had the whole place to themselves, meaning they could be as rowdy as they wanted to with no restrictions. Sal automatically gravitated towards horror, because of course he would; in his eyes, every day was Halloween. While the others were a little reluctant about the decision, they agreed with the condition that they compromise by alternating every other scary film with a comedic one.

Larry didn't mind, honestly; he was content with whatever so long as it had nothing to do with school. While he did wish they were doing something a bit more entertaining, he knew there'd be plenty of opportunities to cause mayhem. He sat there, eyes glued to the screen that depicted some crazed psychopath trailing a group of oblivious, hormonal teens who decided it'd be a _great_ idea to set up camp near the killer's childhood home (obviously trying to uphold to some stupid bet). But even though he appeared to be focused on what was going on in front of him, his mind was...well, somewhere else.

For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about what happened the other day. It was all so...weird. The nervousness, the timid demeanor...that _damned_ aching feeling in his chest--where did it all come from? And then, there was that aura; beautiful as it was, it made him anxious just remembering it. He's made Sal laugh plenty of times before & it never got to him like this. So...why _now_? Fuck, none of this made any sense!   
_'Ok Johnson, breathe_ …' Larry closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, slowly expelling the air from his lungs as he counted backwards from ten. He remembered how he'd often prompt Sal to do this same grounding exercise whenever he was in the middle of an anxiety attack. 

Huh...isn't that ironic.

Once he was more level-headed, he took the time to replay everything back in his head & think it over. After some time, the tiny assembly of little Larrys came to a reasonable conclusion: it was true that he's made Sal laugh (more times than he could count, in fact), but this was the 1st time Larry had heard it so vibrant & loud. The smaller male was always self-conscious with multiple aspects of himself, his voice included; so for him to let it ring out so boldly, it must've caused the brunette to be so shell-shocked that he didn't know how to react.

_So sayeth the council_.

The brunette smiled to himself, satisfied with this answer. ' _Yeah...yeah, that's it_!' he thought; a silent sigh of relief escaping him as he settled back in his spot, feeling that the world around him was, once again, back in order. Of course that had to be the only logical explanation to that whole incident. After all, there's no way Larry would be developing feelings for Sal. They had been best friends since the moment they met, he wouldn't let himself fuck that up with some stupid crush.

_Right_...?

An alarming roar of static, followed by a brief flash of iron grey with maroon & cedar highlights had Larry practically jumping out of his skin with a start, ripping him from the confines of his subconscious and bringing him back to Ash's room. He surveyed the space around him, mind somewhat in a daze, when it finally occurred to him that the tv in front no longer showed anything; he also noticed that a certain blue blur was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd Sal go?" he asked, still trying to reprocess life; it felt like he'd just woken up from a dream. "To the bathroom, duh." Ash stated this so matter-of-factly, as if he should have already known. "He literally told us this a minute ago before he went, saying he wanted to take a quick break before we start the next movie."   
_Wait, next movie? Shit, they'd just started the other one a few minutes ago! Had he really been spacing out that long?_ "Oh, right..." the taller male mumbled.

"Jeez, Larry, where's your head at? Don't tell me you zoned out through the entire movie."

"No, I did not! Just--…ok, maybe a little . It kinda got boring around towards the end." Obviously, that was a lie…a sorry excuse for one at that, but he intended to commit to it, all or nothing. Thankfully, it was enough to appease her.

"You. Larry Johnson. You, of all people, found a horror movie boring." She squinted.

"Uh, yeees?" _Damn. That could've been more convincing._

Ash opened her mouth to say something, but Todd interjected. "I won't lie, this one was a little redundant." he sighed, not even moving to look up at the other two. He was posted up near the corner of the large bed & seemed to be skimming through some sort of instruction book; where he got it from or what its contents held were unknown, but both brunettes could tell he was highly intrigued by it. "The fact that Sal went easy when he picked it doesn't help either. I guess he wanted to be considerate of us."

"Hm...that does make sense." She pondered.

"Ha!" Larry shouted triumphantly. "See, told you. I'm not the only one who thought the movie was weak." He turned to face her & stuck his tongue out.

"Yeah, whatever!! That doesn't change the fact that you're still a scaredy cat with a scream that could shatter glass." She stuck her tongue out as well.

"Hey, I do not shatter glass with my-- _AAAAAH_!!"

The taller male let out a high-pitched yelp, feeling as someone grabbed him from behind dragged him across the carpet; he thrashed around violently trying to fight off the assailant, but the moment he looked up, he saw a figure with a familiar set of blue eyes (though he could obviously tell one was fake just by looking at it from this angle) looming over him. "Wh-Sal? he exclaimed. He shot back up into a seated position just in time to see the others taking pleasure in his misfortune. Ash was sprawled out on the floor, curling into herself in a fit of giggles while Todd peered at him for behind his book; Larry could tell he was snickering from the way his eyes crinkled.

"Dude, what the hell!?" He turned around, glaring daggers at the smaller male, who was propped up against the doorway for support as his small frame shook with silent laughter. "Sorry Larry Face, but I just couldn't resist. You made it way too easy!" he huffed out, placing a hand over his prosthetic. A part of Larry wanted to smile because, ok yeah, it was kind of funny; he'd never expect his voice to go that high. Even so, the other part of him didn't want to let up that easily and give Sal the satisfaction of breaking him.

"Whatever. Fuckin' eat me, Fisher."

"Oh yeah, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

That little shit...he was using his own words against him! "Listen here, you--pfft!" Larry tried to keep up the facade as long as he could, but his resolve went out the window the second he made eye contact with the bluenette; pretty soon, he was joining the others as a low rumbling chuckle erupted from him. When things finally settled after a few minutes, they picked up where they left off, continuing their binge with a classic Monty Python movie; a great choice, honestly, since each of them found something about it that they liked. As they started up the VHS, Larry took a second to bask in the nostalgic atmosphere before him: the 4 of them, huddled up together on Ash's bed, just enjoying each other's company...these were the moments he lived for.

* * *

  
Mondays sucked ass.

There wasn't any way to convince Larry of anything otherwise; Mondays were the bane of all existence & having to spend it in this cesspool of an institution wasn't any better. Still...that didn't mean he couldn't try make the day more tolerable.

If there was one thing that Larry prided himself in, it was being a goofball; knowing how to make people smile & keep them entertained, even if they didn't want to. With the entire building being affected by the Monday slump, what better time to put his talent to use than now...which is exactly what he did.  
Throughout the rotation of classes, he made it his personal mission to lift his friends' spirits; whether it was passing notes during tedious lectures, sending random texts eluding to one of the many inside jokes they shared or even sticking endearing sketches of them into their lockers, the brunette was adamant, pulling off any & every stunt he could possibly think of. 

By the time lunch came around, he could see some of the payoff with his efforts; while their morales weren't at their highest peak, they did seem to be in a better mood than they were this morning. Perfect. 

Johnson-1  
Mondays-0

The 4 of them, along with Chug & Maple, parked it at their usual spot, each of them sparing a moment to take in the atrocities they were provided with; the small sliver of hope to find at least one edible food item seemed as dead as whatever the hell was on this tray. Larry's face twisted into a deep grimace as he used his fork to poke at what he thought might have been jello casserole. This was fucking pitiful.

" _Gross_. I really need to start bringing my own lunch." Ashley gagged; the rest of the table nodded in agreement. Except Chug, of course The guy was chowing down like it was his last meal. Seriously, how could he stand to stomach this shit? "I understand that we live in a small town & all, but this really makes me wonder where all our parents' tax money is being put towards." Todd stated, which was a good point. Maple said nothing; she simply took one good look at her tray & passed it to Chug, his face lit up with delight at the gesture. Larry turned his attention to Sal, who hadn't spoken a word since they sat down; his head tilted to the side as he studied the slice of pie in front of him. It looked pretty decent, but alas, looks can be deceiving. 

"Uh, Sal? I wouldn't--" the brunette's voice wavered with uncertainty as he watched the smaller male discreetly slip a forkful of the dessert under his mask. 

_**It was at this moment that Sally knew...he fucked up.** _

"Mm, nope!" the younger male dropped his fork, practically gagging the moment the pastry came in contact with his tastebuds; the gang could see the instant regret he felt in that moment just from his body language alone.  
Without missing a beat, Larry slid his carton of milk over to Sal, watching him down it within seconds. "I tried to warn you, dude." He said.

"Yeah, & I probably should've headed that warning. I don't know _what_ possessed me to even try that." Sal snatches up his milk carton & chugs that down as well.

"Heh...yeah, definitely not one of your best ideas. You gonna be ok?"

"I'm sure I'll live...but I don't think I'll ever be able to eat pie again."

Larry nodded agreeably, remembering how he'd also sworn off eating certain foods year for because of the cafeteria ruined it for him...to this day, he still can't enjoy meatloaf like he used to without having Vietnam flashbacks every so often. However, that expression of shared sympathy soon deviated to something more mischievous. "Hey, look on the bright side." he mused, barely able to hide the playful tone in his voice. "Exactly where is there a bright side in all th--" Sal paused, eyeing the brunette with a questionable look that quickly turned into a menacing glare. "Don't you fucking dare." he warned.

"........"

"I'm serious, man, don't say it!"

"....."

"Larry, I swear to God, I will destroy your bloodline if you finish that sentence."

The metal head just stared at the smaller boy; his lips curled into a huge grin, eyes crinkling as the smile grew, showing the small gap in his front teeth. He didn't even hesitate. "...'least it wasn't 6 or 7 dollars--ow!" Sal jabbed Larry hard, nailing him in his side, right in between the ribs & the brunette just took it, laughing shamelessly as he shielded the tender area with his arm. "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

"I told you not to say it!" the bluenette glowered, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on! That joke's still funny & you know it."

"Is not."

"Liar, you thought it was hilarious!"

"...fine, you win. I did. But I wish I didn't, because now your ego's all inflated & I'll never hear the end of it!"

The two quipped back & forth playfully, trying elbow the other off their seat; Larry suddenly wrestled Sal into a headlock, bringing the shove war to a close, but Todd was the one to ultimately shut things down. "That's enough, you two." he chided, his icy glare pierced through them both. It was like looking at Medusa herself. They quickly pulled away from each other & settled back into their seats.

"Sorry, Todd--"  
"Sorry, Mom--"

Larry's hand shot up to cover his mouth at the realization of his mistake; Sal must've noticed it too because he looked just as shocked. Everyone at the table was stunned…no one moved nor spoke; fleeting glances being thrown towards Larry, then Todd & back again. This went on for a while until Ash let a small snort slip out; the others soon followed suit & it wasn't long before the entire group erupted with laughter. 

"Alright, I'm calling it. Todd's officially the mom of the group." she said in between giggles. "Just because I take the initiative to keep these two out of trouble from time to time doesn't make me the mom of the group." Todd protested. Although his appearance remained neutral, Larry found it hard to take him seriously; he could tell the redhead was trying _really_ hard not to smile.  
Fuck it. If he was gonna make a careless error, he may as well have fun with it.

" _Moooom_! Sally Face won't stop touching me!" Larry jokingly whined & ok, maybe he did that a little too well, because now Ash was _dying_ , her slender frame lay draped over the table as droplets of tears streamed down her face. Sal's eyes met Larry's at the remark, clearly confused, but the moment the brunette looked up & winked at him, he quickly understood his motive & began to play along. "But my hand's nowhere near you, Larry Face!" he teased, reaching out to where his fingers just barely hovered near Larry's arm. The childlike banter between the two soon had the whole group in hysterics.  
Maple was curled into herself, barely hanging on the edge of her seat, Chug had milk squirting out his nose which caused him to be stuck in this weird spiral where he was laughing & coughing at the same time…even Todd was unable to keep his composure. The atmosphere around them felt brighter & Larry couldn't help but to smile, satisfied with himself. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to relish in that feeling for long.

_"Hey faggots, how bout taking that shit somewhere else!?"_

Everyone turned in the direction of the all-too-familiar voice & who else do they see standing a few feet away, lunch tray in hand, glaring daggers at them...none other than Travis Fucking Phelps: the most aggravating little shitstain to ever roam the halls of Nockfell High. If the days of the week could be people, then Travis would definitely be the physical embodiment of Mondays. The guy was a human mosquito, sucking up all the joy out of anyone he came across, leaving behind a trail of negativity & malice equal to his own. Larry sighed, already feeling the dampened air around him start to weigh heavy. He's had a personal vendetta with the blonde-haired male for years, which only seemed progress as time marched on…hell, just the sound of Travis' voice was enough to set him off; he'd always see this harsh, ugly mixture of rust, mustard yellow & burnt orange with small hints of puce & moldy green anytime he heard it. The combination of colors didn't mix well at all; it made his skin crawl just picturing it.  
"Hey Phelps, I have a better idea: how bout you go fuck off." Larry snarled, gritting his teeth. "If you have such a problem with us, then why don't you leave? It's a free country & we can do whatever the hell we want, it's in our rights."

Travis gave a wry laugh. "If you ask me, people like you shouldn't have any rights." _Motherfucker_! Was he pulling his usual homophobic shtick, or was he actually being racist this time around? Larry didn't know, but it ticked him off either way; he started cracking his knuckles, more than ready to give the prick a beatdown, but Sal grabbed his wrist and pulled him back into his seat. Blue eyes bore into his, pleading, as if to say ' _Don't. He's not worth the trouble.'_  
"What the hell is your problem, asshole!?" Ash shouted, looking to be about two seconds away from socking Travis herself. "My problem," he began, "is you & your dumb friends. You're all a bunch of heathens. It makes me sick just looking at you…when the time comes, you'll get what you deserve."

Just before Ash could get the chance to get at his throat, Todd intervened. "Alright Travis, you've made your point. If you're done with your self-righteous PSA bullshit, then I'd appreciate it if you would leave." he deadpanned. Larry was amused by this, to say the least; ' _gotta hand it to the little genius.'_ he thought, ' _he's able to keep his cool while also telling that prick off.'_  
Of course, Travis didn't exactly appreciate the sass, so now his attention (and wrath) was solely directed towards Todd. "I don't think I like your tone, Morrison." he spat, voice dropping in an attempt to sound more intimidating as he approached the group; what Travis didn't realize was that Todd Morrison simply didn't give a fuck.

"I could care less whether you 'like' it or not. What I _do_ care about is you being an insufferable pest, picking a fight with us everywhere we go. Don't you have anything better to do? Honestly, you're even more of a nuisance than a cockroach." the redhead sneered, pushing his glasses up on his face to look the blonde-haired teen dead in the eyes. "Now, I'm only going to say this one more time: walk. away."

By this point, Travis was fuming. "I don't have to take orders from someone like you! Fuckin' faggot, I should pummel you where you stand!" His arm cocked back, a tightly clenched fist raised in the air ready to strike; he stayed like that for a few moments before letting out a heated scoff before his body relaxed. "You know what? Forget it, you're not even worth my time. Eventually, the day will come when God will exact his punishment. Personally, I hope it comes sooner rather than later...starting with you, Morrison." Travis' eyes then landed on Sal, still holding its menacing glare. "You'll be next, freak."

"Ok, _that's it_!" Ash growled, slamming her hands on the table, jumping out of her seat to lunge at Travis; Maple quickly grabbed her by her waist, holding her back. "Hey, hey, hey! Chill, girl, chill! He's not worth it." she insisted, tightening her grip. "You should listen to your friend, bitch. Wouldn't want to start something you can't finish, now would you?" he taunted, turning to walk away…which only made Ash furious.

"Fucking--Maple, let me hit him once. Just one good punch to that scumbag face of his!"

"That won't do anything except get you sent to the principal's office."

"It'll be well worth the trip!"

"Ash, _no_!!"

Despite the fact Larry desperately wanted front-row seats to Ash ripping into the blonde bastard, Maple was right; Travis has gotten his shit rocked plenty of times now, some of which being his own doing, yet the fucker always came back like the black plauge. To knock him down would just mean that he'd get back up again & it was starting to become tiresome…still, he needed to be put in his place, but violence obviously wasn't the answer here & he'd be damned if he let "Trav-ass" get away with having the last word.  
Larry thought back to when Todd was up against the bully; armed with only his wit & sarcasm, he was able to back Travis into a corner to where he had to resort to threats just to get the upper hand. While the brunette knew he wasn't as clever as the other teen, he figured he could probably pull off the same cynical energy he embodied. But how to go about it, he wondered…

_And then it came to him._

"Hey, Phelps!" Larry called, gaining the boy's attention & causing him to stop mid-stride; thankfully, he hadn't gotten very far. "What do you want, rat-face." Travis spat, turning to face him. _Keep it up with those cheap shots, asswipe. You're gonna wish you hadn't_. "You like jokes, right?" he asked, propping his head up with his hand. It was such an unexpected question that left everyone in a stupor; even Travis didn't know how to respond for a while.

"Wh--the hell are you on about, you weirdo!?"

"Just answer, yes or no. Do you like jokes...or does your 'almighty God' not allow you to have any type of fun?"

"Tch! Leave it to you to ask such a stupid question. Who doesn't like jokes?"

"Cool. I have the perfect one for you."

"......this better be good."

The taller male found it almost too comical how the others were gaping at him, Ash especially; her eyes met with his, wearing an expression that practically screamed: ' _Have you lost your fucking mind_?!'  
He wanted to key her in on his plan, but he knew he needed to keep a low-profile in order for it to work; so instead, he merely shot her a quick, reassuring glance before turning his attention back to Travis.

"Alright, so. Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"Really?! This dumb--...fine." he sighed. "Why?" 

"To get to the idiot's house. Knock, knock."

"...who's there?"

"Cluck cluck, dumbass." Larry announced with a smirk, which only grew wider with the collective sounds of the group stifling a laugh at the punchline. Naturally, Travis was _pissed_. "You think that was funny, Johnson!?" he yelled, the malice in his eyes burned like wildfire. "Honestly? Yeah, it was." the metalhead chuckled. "But you know what's even funnier? You, Travis. Of all the jokes in the world, you're probably the biggest one, & let me tell you why."  
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stood up, meeting Travis face to face; even though they were pretty much the same height, something about Larry's aura made it seem like he towered over the other.

"You're a walking contradiction. You rave on & on about how you're a part of a community that promotes love & acceptance, yet you condemn anyone that so much as _looks_ at the world differently than you do. You bash on gay people like they're such a disease, but you need to take a good look at yourself in the mirror once in a while! I barely know shit when it comes to religion, but the last time I checked, the Bible states that only God has the power to judge others; that being said, you have no right to be telling _anyone_ they're wrong for who they choose to be. Maybe being gay is a sin, who fuckin' knows. At least they know how to treat others like a decent fuckin' person…& they know how to dress. I mean, come on: a purple shirt, jeans shorts & green loafers. Seriously, Travis... _loafers_?! I've met fuckin' _toddlers_ with better color coordination skills!"

The others watched in shock as Larry continued to tear Travis a new one.

"And the list just goes on & on from there, man; it'd take me years to read off every reason on how much of an asshole you are. But the most hilarious thing about you, Phelps, is how you actually think you're doing some good for the world...claiming that you're 'preaching God's testament', like that's a valid excuse for all the vile things you've said. Do you really think you're the first person to use their faith to justify their shitty actions?! That song & dance has been done by hypocrites like you for ages now; people were enslaved, innocent lives were lost due to that mindset. If you really believe that being a Christian give you the right to treat others like trash, then you're no better the rest of 'em!"

For once, Travis didn't have some snide comment to fire back with; he was completely shell-shocked; face pale & mouth agape, like a deer in headlights. There was a small part of Larry that thought he might have went too far, but then he realized this was definitely worth it. The icing on the cake, however, was when he heard hushed whispers from behind him, turning to see a group from the next table over looking his way, talking amongst each other. From what he could tell, they were impressed. Travis saw this too &, well...let's just say he didn't too much tolerate being made a fool of. 

Larry was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the blonde blur moving towards him until it was too late. He was sent reeling back from a fist cracking against his jaw, then yanked forward so that he & Travis were now inches away from each other.

" _Fuck you_! What the hell do you know about me, anyway?! And what makes you think you know more about my faith than I do!?" he yelled, completely lashing out. "You don't know anything about what it means to be a Christian! You're just some devil-worshiping queer--"  
Larry just shook his head. "Aaaaand we're back to the gay-bashing again, how original. Is that _really_ the best you can come up with? Well, I guess if I was looking for a comeback, I should've went back to my place & wiped it off your mom's chin."

It took every ounce of strength within him not to laugh, because holy shit, the look on Travis's face was absolutely priceless! Of course, it didn't matter whether he did or not, because now everyone else was starting to lose it. Any efforts Travis made to throw something back at the him fell upon deaf ears in the midst of the uproar going on around them. With no other way to retaliate, the blonde just shoves him.  
" _ **Rot in hell, Johnson**_!!" he screams, pushing past a few people on the way out. Larry cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out to Travis just before he left. "Hey news flash, altar boy, already there! It's called high school!" The cafeteria door slams with immense force, the sound reverberating throughout the room making a few bystanders jump as they were putting their trays away.

"...well, that was fun." he chuckles, scrambling to get back to his feet; though a bit hesitant, Maple was the first to offer him a hand. "Larry, that was amazing." she mused. He smiled; the air between them was still awkward, but he could tell she was still trying to make an effort. "A little excessive, if you ask me." Todd argued. "In any case, we should get ready to head out. Lunch will be ending soon." Ash groaned. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Being impossibly stubborn. Come on, Todd, You can't tell me you didn't think that was cool."

" _Ashley_ \--"

"Look, I'm not saying to inflate his head, but give the guy some credit. Besides, that jerk deserved it for all the times he's harassed you & Sal! Larry could've done alot worse."

"Psh! Yeah right, you wish, princess. Einstein's words cut _way_ deeper than mine!" Larry cuts in. "I can confirm this." Sal added, nodding in agreement; Ash's eyes darted between all three boys, in disbelief. "Wait, seriously?" she asked. "Oh, totally." the metalhead replied, "If I'm a knife, he'd be a guillotine." Todd rolled his eyes at the comparison. "Ignore them, Ash, they're exaggerating." he refuted, waving his hand dismissively.  
Larry just squints at him. "Are you fuckin' serious?! Dude, I've literally sat & watched you in the middle of a boss fight for an online multiplayer game. The things you've said to some of those guys were so damn brutal. I don't even know who they are & I still managed to feel sorry for them!"

"Not my fault that they refuse to follow basic strategy plans. And what I said was not that bad, just a few choice words at best."

"Understatement of the fuckin' year." Larry mumbled.

"It is _not_!"

"Todd, you & I both know you would've _destroyed_ Travis if given the chance to tell him off."

The redhead pondered this for a moment; though he'd never openly admit it, he wouldn't deny that the metalhead did, in fact, have a point. He definitely could see himself giving the bully a piece of his mind were he provoked enough...especially if he said something about Neil. "Fine. Maybe I _do_ tend to be a little...harsh at times." he admitted. " _ **A little**_?" Sal & Larry questioned in unison; realizing what just happened, they both stopped, their astonished gazes slowly shifting towards each other.  
This wasn't the first time they've experienced something like this; since the two met, they've often found themselves in multiple situations where they were so in sync that they would think & say the same things at the same time. It got less bizarre with each occurrence, but every now & then, it still managed to surprise them.

After some time passed with them just staring at each other, Sal burst into laughter, ultimately breaking the silence. "We've been doing that alot, haven't we. Seriously, how many times has that been now?" he chuckled; a low, ragged sound that was so subtle and yet so powerful, rolling out of him like the gentle rumble of a thunderstorm on a Sunday afternoon.  
It filled up Larry's senses, overtaking him until he was enveloped by the overcast of Sal's empyrean aura; even with seeing it once already, them sight still mesmerized him as if it were the first time all over again. It was beautiful. Soft. Haunting.

_**...it left him an absolute fucking mess; his stomach in knots & his mind disheveled. Between the deafening sound of his heartbeat throbbing in his ears & the damn butterflies stirring up inside him, he felt like he was going insane.** _

"O-oh, I...you know, I'm not even sure at this point. Kinda lost count, honestly." he said, trying to keep it casual, but that was proving to be fairly difficult since his mind couldn't seem to stay focused anything other than Sal Fisher. He wanted to scream. Or run. Something, anything...at this point, he needed a miracle. It didn't matter what kind, as long as it got him out of there ASAP.  
Whether it was a stroke of luck or divine intervention, his prayers were answered. Just as Todd had announced earlier, a series of loud chimes blared throughout the intercom, prompting students to finish up & head to their next class.

_Saved by the fuckin' bell. Literally._

"Shit." Ashley muttered, a momentary thought crossing her mind; she tugged on the back of Larry's shirt with a newfound sense of urgency. "Lar, our art exam...we gotta go. Now." He glanced over at her, confused; but the minute what Ash said fully processed, he froze. Larry & Ash's art teacher, Mrs. Felidae, was an overall laid back person, she'd even let other students outside her class hang around if they were done with tests early or just had a free period; however, she was very critical of one's punctuality. Tardiness was a huge pet peeve of hers & the last thing they needed was to be late and suffer her wrath. "Shit..." he cursed, the realization finally hitting him. " _Shit!_ " The taller male wasted no time gathering up his belongings as quickly as possible before marching towards the exit, Ash tailing him & Sal following behind not long after. Todd had long since disposed of his lunch tray & was waiting patiently by the door. Once the 4 of them regrouped, they took off into the hallways, hauling ass to their respective classrooms. 

* * *

  
Apparently Larry had landed himself in God's good graces by telling Travis off...either that, or he was just uncharacteristically lucky; well, whatever the reason, he & Ash wouldn't have to worry about the exam until next week...which he didn't mind, of course. There was so much was going on in his head already, he didn't need to fry his brain even more by stressing out about some test. He tried to distract himself by painting; it was what he usually turned to when he found the overwhelming slew of thoughts starting to get to him. Midway into his work, he felt himself start to calm down a little, but it didn't stop him from wandering a little. It happened again. That warmth...in his chest, in his stomach, in his... _shit, is this for real? Was he actually starting to have a crush on--_  
The brunette shook his head feverishly at the thought. _No. No way, no fucking way. This is not happening, shut the hell up, brain_! With each passing moment, he could feel the frustration & anxiety building up inside him. He didn't want to believe he was starting to see his friend in a new...less-than-platonic light, but he couldn't deny that it was a possibility. 

_And that was probably what he was afraid of the most…_

Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a baleful sigh. This wasn't getting him. anywhere...at this point, he was just stressing himself out more than he needed to, which would only lead to trouble if he kept it up. Besides, what if it nothing? He could just be reading too much into the situation & making himself paranoid with his own dumb rationale. ' _Maybe it was just another fluke...'_ he thought _, 'Flukes can happen more than once, right?_ '  
In any case, Larry decided that the best course of action was to wait a while to see where things go. If it really came down to it & those feelings still persisted, he'd ask for advice...not exactly his best plan, but it's not like he had many options to work with. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to resort to that, though...maybe, if he's lucky enough, this whole thing would resolve itself & he could continue on as normal.

* * *

  
_Life was so unfair._  
_Completely, undoubtedly, painfully unfair._

It was a Friday afternoon. 3:30 pm. Larry had just gotten back home from school & was sitting at the edge of his bed…his leg bouncing restlessly, face nestled in-between the palms of his hands, wondering how the hell did things turn out like this & what the fuck was actually wrong with him.   
He felt like he was losing it. Ever since that incident in the treehouse, he was starting to feel weird around Sal. Most times, it wasn't a big deal, but then there'd be some instances where he couldn't bring himself to even _look_ at the bluenette for more than a few seconds without his face turning red! And then, there was that laugh...that stupid, beautiful sound that never failed to make his senses going haywire. Even now, he could still hear the noise reverberating in the back of his mind…if he concentrated hard enough, he could still see those colors floating graciously around the smaller male's frame.

" _ **GODDAMMIT**_!!" Larry stretched his arm back, reaching for the nearest pillow he could find before slamming it into his face and screaming with everything he had; it didn't accomplish anything, it just helped serve as an outlet to get his frustrations out. _At least his mom wasn't at home to hear._  
Once he felt that he got everything out of his system, he flopped backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ' _This is seriously getting out of hand_.' he thought, ' _I thought I was past this, I'm supposed to be past this! So, why is it still…_?!' Larry threw his arms up, fingers coiling through the coarse, lengthy strands of hair, giving it a sharp tug. 

Shit, this is bad...he could already feel the anxiety setting in again. He had to talk to someone about this...he _needed_ to, but who? Sal was out, for obvious reasons. Ash would be pretty helpful, but she might try to pry & that was the last thing he wanted; sure, he could be vague with the info, but he didn't wanna risk it. There was also his mom, but...yeah, no, not happening. Too embarrassing. He'd rather **_die_**.  
Now, that just leaves Todd; he was definitely the most sensible of the group & while he wasn't the best at dealing with emotions, he'd no doubt try to help in any way he could, despite them not being all that close. Todd was also very reserved by nature, so Larry knew that anything he told him would be held in complete confidence.

_Guess he was heading to the Morrisons._

It didn't take him long before he was out of his room, up the stairs, at the redhead's door. As soon as he arrived, Larry moved to check the time; he knew that Todd & his boyfriend, Neil, always got together over the weekend for study dates (which just turned into regular dates later on). He wanted to make sure he'd catch the little genius before his slots were full; Neil lived about an hour from the apartments, so he should be getting in around 4:30-4:45. He pulled out his watch.

4:15 pm.

_Good, he still had time._

Raising a hand to the door, he gave a gentle knock. "Todd?" he called out through the wooden structure. He waited a few moments before trying again, louder this time. "Yo, Todd. It's Larry….hey, can we talk? It's important." Still no response.   
That's weird. Usually, he would've came and opened up by now; the walls of the apartment complex aren't that thick, so he should've heard him...unless he was in his room working on one of his inventions. Damn, this definitely wasn't the time...Larry really needed to talk to him.

' _Guess I've got no other choice_.'

Larry took a deep breath. " _TODD!! HEY EINSTEIN, OPEN THE FUCK UP! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU_!" he yelled, banging on the door like a madman. Normally, the brunette wouldn't resort to being this rowdy just to get someone's attention, but considering he forgot his lock-picking gear, desperate times call for desperate measures; he'd deal with the pending noise complaints & lecturing later.  
Fortunately, it seemed to work because he could now hear the sound of padded footsteps approaching from on the other side; the door hadn't even been a fourth of the way open before he'd bull-rushed his way in, kicking it shut as he grabbed the boy by his shoulders. "Todd...oh, thank fuck! Listen. You gotta help me, I--" 

He froze. This...wasn't Todd. 

The person before him was the definition of the phrase 'tall, dark & handsome'. It was something Larry often heard in his mom's overly dramatic ass Hallmark shows, but in this case, it was definitely appropriate. The brunette took a brief moment to marvel at the towering frame in front of him:  
Strong jawline that matched his broad shoulders, a tightly fitted yellow V-neck clung to his chiseled torso; he looked like the type of guy you'd think twice about getting into it with. But he also seemed so sweet, so kind...his very presence giving off a calm & gentle aura, which greatly contradicted his strong physical features. 

_So this was the famous Neil he'd heard so much about_.  
Larry remembered seeing him around once or twice, but they didn't really talk much he'd never been able to put a name to his face; he knew Todd mentioned him pretty often, though. "Oh, hey. Sorry about that, man." he said, immediately pulled his hands away.

"No, it's ok, don't worry about it." the other male chuckled, a benevolent smile plastered itself across his face. "Hey…Larry, right? I'm guessing you came here looking for Todd. Sorry, you just missed him. He told me he was stepping out for a bit." 

" _Shit_. Did he tell you when he'd be back?" Larry asked. Since Neil was here already, he knew that Todd would most likely be busy for the rest of the night, but he could still, at the very least, try to meet with him later. Neil placed a hand on his cheek, pondering for a moment."Hmm…not sure. He just said he was going out to investigate something with Sal."

For some reason, the notion made Larry feel...something. Nervous? Scared? Anxious? He wasn't sure. He just knew the mere notion of Sal as a whole did things to him. Thinking of voice or his hair, picturing his smile & the way his eyes lit up with joy or excitement. Even just hearing Sal's name made him feel warm and--

Wait, was he blushing? Shit. **_Shit_**!!

Larry quickly turn his head to the side, trying his best not to make eye-contact with Neil. Thank fuck for his long ass hair acting as a shield between them. "Uh, Larry...you alright?" Neil asked.

"Mhm!" he replied...a bit more enthusiastic than he'd intended; the slight crack in his voice that slipped when he spoke made him want to chuck himself out the window.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, sure. Totally fine, my dude."

"...well, if you say so. Anyways, I'm sure he'll be on his way back soon. If you want, you can just chill out here until then-" 

Larry shook his head. With how things have been going recently, he wasn't sure if he could handle another chance encounter with Sal...for now, he'd have to proceed with caution until he'd gotten this whole mess sorted out. "N-nah, it's cool. Don't worry about it. It's honestly not that important, anyway. I'll just stop by & see him another time " He started migrating towards the door, ready to make a hasty escape back to the basement. Before he could reach the doorknob, the brunette felt a firm hand resting upon his shoulder.  
"You can talk to me about it, if you'd like." he heard Neil say. Larry turned to face him, catching a glimpse of an expression that showed a sense of unyielding resolve while still somehow managing to be warm & welcoming; it was strangely intense. As if he'd realized how forward he was being, Neil promptly withdrew his hand back.

"Sorry." he began, "I know you don't really know me…and I don't mean to pry or anything, it's just--" he hesitates a moment, trying to figure out the right words to say. "From your mannerisms alone, I could tell that you have something on your mind. Whether you've been dealing with it for a long time or it's something recent, it's been bothering you. I know you don't really know me…& I'm not as smart as Todd, but...if you're willing to take a chance with me, I'll help you in any way I can."

Larry felt a wave of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach…he couldn't bring himself to answer because, shit, how was this guy so damn good at reading people?! They'd never really met until now & yet Neil already had a good gauge on everything the brunette was muddling through...maybe that was one of the reasons why Todd was so crazy about him.  
The lanky teen sighed to himself...Neil seemed like such a caring individual, so honest & cordial. While he didn't understand why the older male wanted to help so much, he still took comfort in it, nonetheless. A part of Larry wanted to hate him for being so damn charismatic, but he knew he'd just be projectinpg his anger onto someone who didn't deserve it.

If he was going to be venting to someone he barely knew, it may as well be one who actually gave a damn enough to attempt to offer some kind of solace; he knew very well that he'd be taking a really big chance, but what did he have left to lose? He took a deep breath.

"Alright Neil, let's talk..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments & constructive criticism are welcome. Gonna try to get Ch. 3 done as soon as possible. 
> 
> Also, come check out the Chaos Brigade that is this 16+ discord server & meet with some SF peeps:  
> https://discord.gg/sAVPDcf

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wanna start off by saying thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a comment telling me what you think so far! My writing is probably a bit rusty, so constructive criticisms are more than welcome.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The insanely absolutely Radically drug trippy Zombie apocalypse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22883089) by [anon_the_nobody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon_the_nobody/pseuds/anon_the_nobody)




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